Marketing Your Business Online As a business you can’t afford to ignore
Internet Age; in 2002 there was an estimated 605 million people online around entire globe, today this is estimated at over a billion users worldwide.By using Internet to market your business an entire world of potential customers are opened up for you, rather than just your local town, city, or country.
Some Facts:
• According to Forrester Research Inc approximately £2.5 billion worth of goods and services were sold online to US and European customers in 1998, more than double 1997 figure.
• In last six months more than a third of households have made a purchase online, this is double last year’s figures – Forrester anticipate this will reach 40% of households by 2009.
• In 2004 top 400 retailers totalled online sales of around £25 billion, in US this accounted for over 58% of all retail sales.
• Online sales grow by 25% each year.
• Over 40 million potential customers used Internet last year seeking out local information; even if your focus is on local market, you still need to be using Internet to make sales.
Every day customer confidence in online shopping soars; this is relevant to you as a business whether you sell to consumers or business to business.
Having a website isn’t just about having a ‘presence’ on Internet any longer - just so that you can show that you are a legitimate business, it’s about connecting with customers via Internet, and making sales directly from your presence on Internet, because believe it or not most of your potential customers are highly receptive to this.
If you don’t have a website yet and have been in business longer than six months, something is very wrong with your marketing strategy - and if you do have a website but aren’t using this as a portal to gain Internet custom in addition to your offline marketing, again, something is very wrong with your marketing strategy. Some Reasons Why You Absolutely Need a Website
